Lock-stitch sewing-machine.



' wa'nes'sesr No. 872,074 PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907.

F. W; MERRIGK.

LOOK STITCH SEWING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 17. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

70 74 w L l I I '1' i PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907.

F. W. MERRIGK. LOCK STITCH SEWING MACHINE.

APPLIbATION FILED JUNE 17I 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 35 bar carrying the said awl.

the awl-bar is shown.

" elevation a portion of a sewing machine with I at. 872,074.

FRANK MERRIGK, OF BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS. v

LOCK-STITCH SEWING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 17. 1904- Serial No. 212.930.

51 is a thread-container,herein a bobbin H To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. MERRICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk,- State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lock-Stitch Sewing- Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings ,Figure 1 shows in front an embodiment of the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 shows the parts of Fig. 1 in plan, with the work-support, awl-bar, and awl: omitted, and a small portion of the shuttle in section. Fig. 3 shows the art of Fig. 1 in elevation looking from the le t hand side in such figure. Fig. 4 is a partly sectional detail of the shuttle on a somewhat larger scale, showing the pressure-member carried Y thereby, and the means of adjusting the said disk as the inner pressure-member.

pressure-member. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the employment of a supplemental Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the ap lication of the invention to a curved-need e lock-stitch sewing machine.

- Having reference to the drawings a' ortion of a post or standard forming part 0 the frame-work of a sewing machine is represented at 1, Figs. 1 and 2, and at 2 is represented a work-rest or work-support upon the upper end of the said post or standard 1. 3," in

Fig-:1, is an awl working from above the said work-rest or work-support, and 31 is the awl- Only a portion of 4 is an ordinary hooked needle working frombelow the work-rest or works'upport, and 41 is the needle-bar carrying'the said needle ,only a portion of the needle-bar being shown. The awl-bar and needle-barinpractics (respectively have connected therewith suitable means for reciprocating the same,v

and respectively are mounted in guides (not shown) as usual.

5 a rotary loop-taker having the working position thereof below the work-rest or workto I of a shuttle. cup-shaped,

I support. In the present embodiment of the invention, the said loop-taker is in the form The said shuttle is essentially it being formed with a large [chamber or cavity which is concentric, or

' substantially so,

with the axis of rotation of with a raised annular rim the shuttle, and

' surrounding the said chamber or cavity.

which is mounted concentrically, or substantially so, with the said axis of rotation ofthe looptaker. Herein it is contained within: the chamber or cavity of the shuttle.

Patented Nov. 26,1907.

52 is a shuttle-driver, and 53 IS an upright shaft ha ing the said shuttle-driver attached thereto, the said shaft being inountedfgin'; hearings in the post or standard 1. In prac-I tice, the said shaft 53 has connected there:

with suitable means for rotating the same,

not necessary to be shown. The shuttle 5 is mounted in a shuttle-race comprising oppo; site side-pieces 6, 6, and a removable section or slide 61 between the said side ieces, the

edges of the portions 6, 6, 61, of t e'shuttle-v race entering a circumferential groove 5a which is formed in the exterior of the shuttle, and the removability of the section 61 ro,- viding for the insertion and withdrawa of the shuttle. i i 1 The shuttle-point is designated. 43. 1 v

As so far referred to, th'e parts work in usual and well-known manner, and during operation the shuttle-thread leads from the bobbin 51 upon which it is wound, ovC-if the 3' upper rim of the shuttle, to the stiten-making point in the machine, where it is incorporated 1n the stitches of the seam which is being produced in the stock being sewed,

The principles which are embodied in my 4 invention are as follows: After a loo '3 of needle-thread has been engaged by the shuttle-point and passed around the shuttle by the rotation of the latter, and been castofi from the shuttle, and as the tightening of the stitch advances to completion, a surface with which the shuttle is provided passes beneath and outside the portion of shuttle-thread extending over the rim of the shuttle from the interior of the latter toward thesti t-ch-forniing point. The said exterior surface presses the said portion of the shuttle-thread "ra-' v dially inward toward the axis of rotation of the shuttle, against an inner surface'which is in passing temporarily clamps the shuttlethread between the seamand the source of supply within the shuttle. The clamping'is timed so as to impart the requisite tension to the shuttle-thread as the twhtening of the stitch occurs, and to lock the shuttlethread to withstand the final pull on the needle thread in setting the stitch. "Usually I shape or construct the said exterior surface to precede the locking of the shuttle-thread concentric with the shuttle-axis, and thereby .25 locking. the same from turning, to prevent arm 71, the latter constituting portion of a I for the setting-of the stitch by an additional,

less positive, compression of such thread, f whereby to hold the latter just sufliciently to retard the advance thereof in response to that portion of the tightening of the stitch which precedes thefinal setting. Ordinarily, theshuttle-thread locking action'will not be suf- A ficiently pronounced in practice to hold such thread up to the breaking point of the latter. The exterior surface is made adjustable, to accommodate different sizes of shuttle- "thread, as well as to enable the same to be overrunning thereof;

y In the illustrated embodiments of the invention-the outer thread c0mpressing surface is designated 7. It forms part of an lever which is mounted by vertical pivot 72 i v on the upper portion of the rim ofthe shuttle. The inner surface with-which the surface 7 coo erates, concentric or co-axial with the shutt e, is constituted by the peripheral rim of the upper head or disk of the bobbin 51inFigs.1,2,3and4. pies a position, exterior to the said run, 1n which it nearly or just touches the latter. It isso located upon the shuttle that, as al ready indicated, after the loop of needlethreadwhich has been engaged by the shuttle point has been passed around'the shuttle by the rotation of the latter and discharged from"the shuttle-point, and as the needlethread is drawn up in tightening the stitch it, the said surface 7, shall arrive in the rotary motion of the shuttle in position to act against the portion of shuttle-thread extending from the bobbin to the seam.

In order that just before the shuttlethread is firmly pinched or locked between thesurface 7 and the bobbin, the said thread ma be held'for' a brief period sufficiently to retard the advance thereof during that portion of the tightening of the stitch which precedes the final setting of the latter, the

arm 71 is rovided with a surface 73 approaching t e peripheral edge of the head of the bobbin but less closely than the surface 7. This surface 73 is presented first to the shuttle-thread in the rotation of the shuttle and acts to partially compress the shuttle- The surface 7 occuthread against the periphery of the bobbinatter is fitted to a threaded hole that is tapped in the arm 75 of the said lever, and

takes by its inner end against the surface of the wall of the recess 14, in the upper ortion of the 'rim of the shuttle, in which the lever is received.

The invention is equally applicable either to straight needle machines as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 'of the drawings, or to curved needle machines as in Fig. 6. In the latter figure, a work-support is indicated at 111, a curved awl at 113, an oscillating awl-carrier at 131, a curved needle at 114, and an oscillating needle-carrier at 141.. At 115 is a rotary shuttle cooperating with the said curved needle in the production of stitches, at 159 the shuttle point, at 152 the shuttle-driver, at 153 the rotary shaft on which the said shuttle-driver is mounted, and at156. the shuttle-race. The outer disk or headof the bobbin, and the shuttle-thread locking lever, have the same reference characters applied in connection therewith as in the case of Figs. 1 to 3.

portion 121 of the machine-framing. The free extremity of the said arm projects in front of the shuttle and makes contact with the outer side of the disk or head 51 of the bobbin-.- The said arm serves to retain the bobbin in place within the shuttle.

I contemplate in some, cases employing a supplemental disk' as the inner clamping or pressure-member for the shuttle-thread, and supporting -the same in a working 'osition adjacent one of the heads of the b0 bin, to co-act with the outer pressure-member. One

An elastic or yielding arm, 119 is attached by means of a screw 120 to the The surface 7,.next coming into ac construction embodying such' a sup lemen- I tal disk is re resented in Fig. 5, in w 'ch the said disk is esignated 8. The'supplemental' disk is supported conveniently in working position, as, for instance, by providing the same with a central spindle 81 extending downward therefrom and entering the bore or interior of the tubular central post 511 of the shuttle. It is supported vertically by an annular shoulder thereon at the top of the said post, whichrests upon the upper end of i the post. The peripheral margin of the disk is located in close proximity to the upper margin of the rim of the shuttle, in the plane of the working portion ofthe outerpressuremember.

The disk 8- may be capableof turning loosely or independently with relaenacts tion to'the: shuttle, in which case spindle i. 81 will fit loosely within the tubular aost of the shuttle. The disk, however, may be fixedly mounted in a manner preventing itfrom rotating independently with relation to the shuttle, as, for example, b proportioning) the spindle 81 to fit tighty within the tu ular post otthe shuttle and engage frictlonallyitheremth so as to prevent the rotatlong of the sa d spindle within the said post; For the purpose of holding the disk 8 1n its; working position, a spring 9 is shown in Fig- 5 attached to the under surface of the -"portion of the'spring being bent or curved plied to a threaded hole thereof, the

downwardto bear against the upper side of the disk, and an adjustinglscrew 91 beinga t at is tapped in t e work-sup ort, the end of the said adjusting screw ma ng contact with the s ring. By means of the adjusting screw t e bent or curved portion of the spring may be caused to bear properly against the disk, and the degree of its pressure may be regulated conveniently.

I am aware of the application of Henry H.

Cummings, Serial No. 212,929, filed June 17,

1904, in the same interests as this application; said Cummings application relating to aninvention similar, generically, to the inventiori of the present case; but as I am the inventor of the generic idea common to the .two cases, and as the Cummings constructlon 1s a later development or my generic 111- vention, it is the desire of the parties in interest that the broader or more generic claims relating to this invention be to me without interference with t c said Cummin 3 case in which the claims have been'lim ted 'so as not to overlap the claims of this application.

. I claim asmy invention 1. In a lock-stitch. sewin machine, in combination, the rotary shuttle, an inner pressure-member for the shuttle-thread, and an outer pressure-member mounted upon the shuttle and carried by the rotation of the latter past the shuttle-thread at the outer-side d outer member acting as it passes the hut e-thread to press the same radially inward against the said inner mem her and there by clamp the shuttle-thread as the stitch is being set.

2. In a lock-stitch sewing machine, in combination, the rotary shuttle, an liner pressure-member for the shuttle-thread, outer pressure-member mounted upon the eI-Huttle and carried by the rotation of the latter: past the shuttle-thread at the outer side the'eoi', the said outer member acting as it passe-1- the shuttle-t cad to press the same radially inf ward against saidinner member amt anted thereby clamp the shuttle-thread as the stitch isbeing set, and adjusting means to vary the relation of the pressure-members to each other. I

3. In a lock-stitch sewin machine, in combination, the rotary shutt e, the inner press sure-member, between which and the rim-0f the shuttle the shuttle-thread passes from the source of supply within the shuttle to the stitch-forming point, and the outer pressuremember mounted u on the shuttle, acting. exteriorly against tie shuttle thread as it passes the latter to-pinch the same against the said inner member.

4. In a lock-stitch sewing machine, in combination, the rotary shuttle, the ,inner pressure-member, between which and the rim of 5. .In a lock-stitch sewing machine, in come bination, the rotary shuttle, a disk mounted coaxially with the said shuttle, and the outer pressure-member mounted upon the shuttle and carried by the rotationof the shuttle past the shuttle-thread, outslde the latter, the said member acting as it passes'the shuttle thread to press. the same radially inward. against a surface of said disk and. thereby pinch the shuttle-thread as the stitch is being set.

\ 6. In a lock-stitch sewing machine, in c'or'nhination, the rotary shuttle, a central bobbin, and the pressure-member, mounted upon the shuttle, and carried by the rotation ofthe. shuttle. ast the shuttle-thread, outside the latter, t e said member acting as it passes the shuttle-thread to press the same radially inward a ainst the peripheral rim ofa head of the bobbin and thereby pinch the shuttlethread to lock the latter as the stitch is being set.

7. In a lock-stitch sewing machine, in com bination, the rotary shuttle, a disk mounted co-axially with the said. shuttle, the outer pressure-member, mounte-" ipon the shuttle, carried by the rotation of the shuttle past the shuttle-thread, outside the latter, and acting as it passes the shuttle-thread to press the same radially inward against a surface of said disk and thereby pinch the shuttle-thread as the stitch is being set, and means to adjust the relation of the said member to the said disk.

,8. In a lock-stitch sewing machine, in combinationthe rotary shuttle, a central bobbin, the pressure -memher mourn upon the shuttle and n;- the i. tation of the tainer, the said loop-taker containing within shuttle ast the-shuttle-thread, outside the latter, t e said'member actingas it passes theshuttle-thrad to press the same radially inward against the peripheral rim of ahead of the bobbin andthereby pinch the shuttlethread as the stitch is being set, and means to adjust the relation of the pressure-member to the said rim.

. 9. In a lock-stitch sewing-machine, a rotatingloop-taker having in connection therewith a source of supply for. the locking thread, and provided with thread-compressing means operated by the rotation of the said loop-taker to first yieldingly hold said thread for tension prior to the final tightenthe said final tightening.

10. In a lock-stitch sewing-machine, in combination, a thread-container, and a looptaker, rotating around said thread-container, and provided with thread compressing means operated by'the rotation of the looptaker to intermittingly compress the locking thread. I

11. In a lock-stitch sewmg-machine, in

combination, a thread-container, and arotating loop-taker which carries the loop of needle-thread around the said thread-conitself 'intermittingly-acting locking-means for the thread from the said thread-0on tainer. a

'12. In a lock-stitch sewing-machine, in

combination, a thread-container, and a rot'ating loop-taker which carries the loop of needle-thread around the said thread-con tainer, the said loop-taker containing within itself means operated by the rotation of the loop-taker to 'intermittingly compress the locking thread.

13. In a lock-stitch sewing-machine, in combination, a thread-container, a looptaker which carries the loop of needle-thread around the said thread-container, the said loop-taker containing within itself intermittingly operating radially acting locking thread compression means.

14. In a lock-stitch sewing-machine, in combination, a thread container,'- and 2.

loop-taker provided with thread-locking means caused by the rotation of the looptaker to clam the lockingfthread at av point between the t 'eadrcontalner and the stitchforming point in the machine at the time of the tightening of the stitch.

15. In, a lock-stitch sewing-machine, in combination, a thread-container, a looptaker rotating around "said thread-container and containing within itself means caused by the rotation of the loop-taker to intermittingly compress the locking-thread ata point between the thread-container and the stitchforming point in the machine at the time of the tightening of the stitch. ingiof the stitch and then look the thread for 16. In a lock-stitch sewing-machine, in combination, a thread-container, a looptaker rotating around the said thread-container and provided with radially-acting thread compression means caused by the rotation of the loop-taker to int'ermittingly operate upon the locking thread at a point between the thread-container and the stitchforming point in the machine at the time of the tightening of the stitch.

17. In a lock-stitch sewing-machine, in combination, a thread-container from which the locking thread extends directly to the stitch-forming point in the machine, and a loop-taker'rotating around the said threadcontainer, andprovided with radially-acting thread-compression means caused by the rotation of the loop-taker to intermittingly compress the said thread at a point intermediate the thread-container and-the said stitch-forming point.

18. In a lock stitch sewing machine, in combination, a rotating loop-taker, an adjacent disk, anda rotatableintermittent clamp acting to intermittingly compress the locking thread against the'edge of the said disk as the said thread issues from a central source of supply past the said disk.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK W. MERRICK.

Witnesses:

CHAs. F. RANDALL, Enrrn J. ANDERSON. 

